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You’ve got to hand it to Dave Lewis – the decision to launch a new chain of budget stores is certainly ballsy. Since muscling in on the UK grocery market five years ago, the incumbents have been powerless to halt the march of Aldi and Lidl as they have gobbled up market share at a dizzying rate.

With the launch of Jack’s, its own cut-price chain named after founder Jack Cohen, Lewis is adopting their model using own label goods and a smaller selection of brands. The message it is meant to send is: “You’ve finally got a fight on your hands.”

Still, it will take a Herculean effort if they are to be stopped. New data reveals that the pair have doubled their market share to a touch over 13pc. Not...